Va. Officials Will Test Use of Sirens for Terrorism Alerts

[ECH1969]

The Washington region's emergency managers have concluded that the high-tech devices put in place since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are not enough to warn masses of people. So they are looking at the system that alerted the World War II and Cold War generations: the piercing wail of a siren.

Arlington County and neighboring Alexandria will become the first communities in the country to experiment with sirens as alerts to terrorist attacks. They are preparing to buy as many as 15 modern sirens to mount on telephone poles, buildings and even traffic lights in a few neighborhoods in a federally funded pilot program that is being closely watched by other area governments.

"People outdoors are most at risk in an attack because they are least able to find out what is going on quickly," said John Fuoto, an engineer and siren expert for the Department of Homeland Security and a consultant to Arlington, which is overseeing the pilot project.

Terrorism fears have been the driving force behind the free emergency alerts many of the region's local governments are offering to deliver on such portable hand-held devices as cell phones as well as via radio stations, electronic highway signs and reverse-911 telephone service.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/24/AR2006012401549.html

[wakeme2008]

1. lol this is normal in Roanoke

OK it is half the home of Norfolk Southern RR but I have got used to the air raid sirens going off all day. :)

7:00AM

12:00PM

1:00PM

3:00PM

And maybe more.... :rofl:

[Javaman]

12. How about at just 10,2 and 4...get it? LOL n/t

[Dunvegan]

2. We have 65 sirens blaring...with a voice...evey Tuesday at noon...

...that can be heard throughout the heart of the city of San Francisco.

First there is the rising wail of the siren.

Then as it reaches crescendo, it cuts out and there is a booming male voice, far louder any and all city sounds:

"This is a test of the outdoor warning system. This is only a test."

The first time it was tested, although trained in first response, it made me stop and wonder...somewhat discomfited.

About San Francisco's Sirens: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=i_team&id=3627030

Edited to say: The city's only ordered one chip, that one voice and one test message. No chips or recordings for any emergency. If there was an emergency today, I suppose they'd switch on the sirens and "the voice" would tell us "This is only a test."

From the ABC 7 San Francisco article linked above:

Patrick Crawford: "That's a concern, having a system that has all the features turned on would be an important thing."

The city has been busy just trying to get the basic siren to work. They didn't want one of those cold, new high-tech tones.

Someone in the local government decided it would be a good idea to use the air raid siren sound from the old system. So they carted off one of the horns to ATI in Boston. Engineers recorded the sound, tweaked it, and installed it on the new system. That's what Gavin Newsom unveiled one year ago this week.

The problem is the fluctuation of the sound is blowing out the speakers. The city's had to replace more than 350 drivers - the sound-producing mechanism inside the sirens. We broke that news to Michela Alioto-Pier, supervisor for the Marina District that was especially hard hit by Loma Prieta.

[napi21]

3. Oh Geesh! I remember this shit from when I was a kid!

I'm now 62!!!

I can't remember what they called it but my dad was a member, and I remember his hard hat. It was all linked to the FEAR of the Russians invading the US!

Remember the bomb alerts? Hide under your desk at school! I remember the rehersal to prepare for a nuclear attack!

Well, I've grown up, and learned a lot since then. I'm not buyin it this time!

[HuffleClaw]

4. CONELRAD ?

something like that?

[patdem]

8. I think it was called 'Civil Defense' I remember the sirenes

where the 'bomb shelters' were located in the city!

[HuffleClaw]

15. i've seen pictures

folks wearing white helmets with a circle/triangle logo on 'em iirc. from the cold war, 50s i think.

[HuffleClaw]

5. i thought most cities had sirens?

ours does, and we're in canada. they replaced the cold war era ones a few years ago, but we still use 'em for weather emergencies and also because our city had a huge concentration of petrochemical plants and the ever present threat of a gas release.

[XemaSab]

6. I've lived in towns that had sirens

In Arcata, CA, they tested the siren every day at noon...but they sometimes sounded the siren off at other times, like when they got a new fire captain. I recall it going off about once a year at a time other than noon, but everyone was so used to the siren that people tuned it out.

God forbid there should be a tsunami or "accident" at the nuclear plant.

The siren would be totally useless, because people would tune it out.

[Dogmudgeon]

7. Why not just make automated phone calls?

Attention!

This is an Official Terrorism Alert for the State of Virginia.

In cooperation with the Bureau of Homeland Insecurity, the Virginia State Republican Party has issued this Official Terrorism Alert.

An Official Terrorism Alert is issued when President Bush's level of popularity has fallen below 40% or when a scandal threatens to reflect negatively on His presidency.

All citizens of the State of Virginia and its posessions are cautioned to stay inside of their homes, pay all outstanding debts and fines, and keep their TVs tuned to the Christian Broadcasting Network or to Fox News.

Under no circumstances should Virginians watch or listen to Keith Olberman or Jon Stewart.

Any Citizen of Virginia found guilty of posession of materials written by or favorable to Michael Moore is subject to fines of up to $1000 and imprisonment not to exceed fifteen years.

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

The Honorable _______________

Governor of Virginia and President of the Virginia Republican Party

--p!

[theHandpuppet]

9. Oh that is TOO good!

:rofl:

[LostinVA]

10. The Gov here is a Dem, not a Repub

[leesa]

11. How stupid! Will they sound them whenever Bush enters the state?

When Rummie bombs a civilian town?

[soothsayer]

13. Jeez, I'm an arlington native and recall the wednesday sirens

we had for years and years. Guess we'll be hearing that siren song again.

[Buns_of_Fire]

14. OsamAlert! (tm)

:eyes:

[hedgehog]

16. Given that there was no idea how to respond to Katrina;

just how would the good citizens be instructed to respond to a random terrorist attack? Just how big a terrorist attack are these people anticipating anyways? I would think if you were involved, you'd know about it wouldn't you? If they knew an attack was coming, shuldn't the emphasis be on stopping the attack rather than on sounding sirens?

[yellowcanine]

17. Yeah THAT's a good idea. Not.

[Julius Civitatus]

18. Idiocy!

[sarcasmo]

19. Maybe they will only use it prior to elections.